INDY!!!

Downtown Indianapolis is a great place to visit! There is plenty of GREAT food, craft beer and entertainment. We were in Indy to watch the Buckeyes roll the rest of the Big Ten in the basketball tournament. This is the chronicle of my culinary journey through the wonderful downtown area of Indianapolis. My only regret is that I didn’t have more time to spend in this fair city so I could try everything she had to offer.

I am a sucker for a brewpub with good food and The Ram did not disappoint. The burgers were outstanding and the house made chips were AWESOME. I tried all the beers available on tap the day I was there but my favorites were the Buttface Amber Ale and the Total Disorder Porter. This place is definitely worth stopping at if you’re downtown Indy.

My next culinary adventure took me to St. Elmo’s. What can I say about St. Elmo’s except get your butt down there and don’t forget to have one of the world famous shrimp cocktails. This place has the best steak in Indy and is a must do!!!

We tried Palomino and this is a VERY elegant restaurant with equally elegant food. I will not skip Palomino on my next trip to Indy. It was VERY good. My favorite was the truffled deviled eggs! OUTSTANDING!!!

We didn’t eat at Scotty’s Brewhouse but we were amazed by the selection of tap handles! This is a GREAT place to have some beers and watch a game!

We ate and had great caipirinha’s at Fogo de Chao and while this was a neat place that is worth trying, I will take my meat dollars back to St. Elmo’s every time I am given a choice between Fogo and St. Elmo’s.

We also stumbled into a very cool wine bar on our way back to the hotel but I have absolutely no idea where it was or what the name of the place was. I think it was near the intersection of Illinois and Ohio.

Right by our hotel was Bourbon Street Distillery which we hit every night for last call but didn’t eat. The menu and daily specials looked good and next time I will surely try it.

Ed and friends

Try this soup!!!

Cream of Jerusalem Artichoke Soup

1 pound of Jerusalem artichokes
½ of a large onion
5 clove garlic
2 tb butter
2 cups chicken stock
TT salt
TT pepper
1 ts paprika
½ cup heavy cream

Melt the butter in a dutch oven and sweat the onion (finely diced) until translucent. Add the garlic (finely diced) and simmer one more minute.  Peel the Jerusalem artichokes, slice thinly and add to the onions. Simmer for another five minutes. Add the paprika and some salt and pepper. Simmer one more minute. Add the chicken stock and heavy cream and simmer until the artichokes are falling apart (30-45 minutes). Blend with immersion blender or in a conventional blender until smooth. Push through a fine mesh strainer and add salt/pepper to taste.

This recipe was inspired by the fact that there were fresh local Jerusalem Artichokes at our local farm market and I had never cooked them before. Always being up for a challenge I bought a pound. I topped my soup with a small dab of Chevre and served with some crusty toasted bread that had a light smear of Chevre. Also in the picture is a peice of broiled Haddock and some roasted new potatoes.

I hope someone will try my recipe and write a review of it.



Ed and friends

Kick Ass new recipe I created!!!

Braised chicken leg quarters with fennel and carrot

4 Chicken leg quarters

1 28oz can crushed tomatoes

4 or 5 large carrots

1 large or 2 small fennel bulb

1 small sweet onion

5 cloves garlic

3-4 tbsp olive oil

1 cup chicken stock

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp dried parsley flakes

Heat up a little oil in a dutch oven. Brown 4 chicken leg quarters that have been cut into leg and thigh on all sides until skin is nice and crispy. Remove chicken and add one small sweet onion diced and five garlic cloves crushed. Cook the onion until soft and add 4 or 5 carrots sliced into ¼” pieces and the fennel bulb cut into ¼” pieces and sauté for 5 minutes. Add one 28oz can of crushed tomatoes and the Italian herbs and simmer for another minute to bring the tomatoes up to temp. Nestle the chicken into the vegetables and add chicken stock if necessary to bring liquid about 1/3 of the way up the chicken pieces. Cover and put into a 325 degree oven for 1 hour. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with steamed white rice or mashed potatoes or polenta.

The Wooster Inn

We did a guest review for the super cool folks over at Celeveland Food and Brews. Check it out when you have time.

http://www.clevelandfoodandbrews.com/2011/03/wooster-inn.html